The State of Mid-Century Blogs

Someone on the Austin Reddit board asked which were the best thrift stores for mid-century furniture. Oh, how the Austin mid-century fans laughed knowing that every thrift store is picked over well before a reasonable person can expect to get there. It did however start a good list of vintage stores in Austin. So good that I updated my list, mainly by moving multiple stores to the “closed” section.

Doing so made me wonder about all the wonderful mid-century blogs I used to read. They don’t really show up in my RSS feed reader anymore. That’s because literally everyone is shut down or stopped posting years ago, even Retro Renovation. 

I have a sad feeling about it all. It feels like it was a Mad Men-inspired moment in time that’s probably passed. It also seems like a lot of it has shifted to social media. However, what I tend to find there is professional photography and vintage stores selling their wares. It’s a bit different.

I never considered Mad for Mid-Century finished, just on extended hiatus, but maybe it’s best to end it.

If you’re someone who used to read this blog and came back for a visit, thank you. I’m not sure if there will ever be additional content but I hope you enjoyed.

If you stumbled upon this mid-century blog for the first time through a Google search or some other means, please look around and give a read. I still check my MadforMidcentury email and comments are monitored.

And if you’re someone who’s still interested in reading a mid-century blog, let me know. I always wrote Mad for Mid-Century for myself but the community that was once around mid-century style and design was nice.

Broyhill Sculptra Desk on Austin Craigslist

It's not often that I see an unnamed Broyhill Sculptra desk on Craigslist these days, but this one is simply labeled "mid-century modern desk." Still, it's not the super deal you hope to find when you stumble upon an unmarked item. It's a little bit of a deal, but pretty close to market price for the Austin market.

Guess that just speaks to the aesthetic of the Broyhill Sculptra line. Even when sellers don't know what they have, they know they have something special.

A Message from Your Friendly Neighborhood Mid-Century Blogger

Hi readers (those of you that are left),

I do my best to make sure this site isn't about me, other than things I may be doing to my mid-century home, but after posting for five times a week for almost five years, I haven't posted in four months. That deserves some explanation.

Much like a certain West Philadelphian, my life got flipped-turned upside down. I went through a slight career shift to become a Sr. Content Strategist. I help my wife launch a new website for the best marketing firm in Austin. We're selling our first home – not the one you've seen on this site, the one we bought before this blog started and have been renting for a while. And a few other things happened that the internet doesn't need to know about. The long and short of it is, I had to select what I was going to focus on and as much as I love it, writing about mid-century stuff every day didn't make the cut. What started as a little break to keep my head above water turned into an extended sabbatical so I could keep the balance.

However, life is getting back to a normal pattern now, or it should be in the near future. With that, I'm hoping that my posting schedule will return to something closer to normal here on Mad for Mid-Century. I can't promise that it will be back to five posts a week for the next five years, but I can promise you that I think about posting every day and I'm going to start doing it more often than not.

Apologize for the break. Thanks for sticking around. And to new readers, I'll have something for you real soon.

Vintage Christmas Ornaments from an Estate Sale

I did a little estate sale-ing this weekend and had a little luck. That luck came in form of a big bag full of  vintage ornaments. Most of them were your standard color orbs with the shine taken off by age, but there were three teardrop gems in the bag as well. For $1, I couldn't pass them up. After some digging, I found a few other ones worth keeping: a matte, translucent orb (which I've never seen before), a few string-covered balls and a single, shiny blue drop. They'll all be on the front of the tree this year.

Everyone in Austin Loves Mid-Century Modern

I was catching up on my weekly reading and came across this piece in the Austin Chronicle about how popular mid-century modern is in Austin these days. Nothing new there, but it's worth the read while you have your morning coffee. Rave On Vintage gets a name drop and Windsor Park gets a shout out. (Windsor Park the newest up-and-coming mid-century neighborhood in Austin.)

Mid-Century House Numbers on a Vintage Store

I stopped by Remixologie before it closed. I didn't find anything I needed, but I did notice their mid-century address numbers for the first time.

They're Distinction numbers (a.k.a. my favorite cheap modern address numbers) on a simple board with an interesting angle cut. It's pretty similar to what we did for our DIY mid-century house numbers, but I like the addition of the angle cut; it gives it more of an atomic ranch feel.

Austin Vintage Store Remixologie Is Closing

Sad news in the mid-century Austin scene, one of the newest vintage furniture stores is already closing. Remixologie is shutting its doors at the end of the month. Remixologie was a smaller store so it didn't have as much in stock as other vintage stores in Austin, but it never lacked in quality and it was always worth the stop if you were spending the day vintage store hopping. I'm sad to see it close.

Mid-Century Kid's Microscope Set

I hit my first Austin estate sale in a while. It was on a Thursday and Friday, which led me to believe that it wouldn't be fully picked over by the time I got there. And it wasn't; there was a great kitchen table and a few other pieces left. 

One of the smaller pieces left was a mid-century kid's microscope set. I had to pick it up for the kid in hopes of a happy atomic future. Also, the design of the case (with the old school Steel logo) and the materials inside was worth the cost of purchase.

Memorial Day Mid-Century Shopping

I spent part of my Memorial Day doing something completely mid-century American, cleaning the garage. I spent the other part doing something I haven't done in a while, shopping Austin vintage stores.

I hit up Rave On Vintage for the first time (a new favorite), Remixologie, Uptown Modern, Room Service and Antique Marketplace (for the first time in a while).

I was looking for a large mid-century wall unit and didn't find anything. I now believe that wall units are the hardest thing to find in Austin (I've been looking for a while). Part of the reason I say that is because I saw a Moe Honeycomb light in person on my multi-store trip (at the Antique Marketplace)

It was a bit tarnished, but it was hanging there, which is more than I can say for the wall unit I was looking for.

Mid-Century on Reddit

Reddit is a pretty solid time waster in my life, and I just found the mid-century subreddit so all my free time is now accounted for. If you don't know what Reddit is, it's a social network and news site where people share interesting things they find on the internet. And subreddit's limit those things to a specific topic, in this case mid-century stuff.

The mid-century subreddit is filled with people sharing photos of their mid-century homes, trying to identify unknown pieces and bragging about great garage sale finds. I'll be hanging out there a lot, especially if people keep posting truths like this:

Shining Carpet Pattern Doormat

Two years ago I was on the hunt for a new doormat and I decided I wanted a Shining carpet doormat. The only problem was that didn't exist. A friendly reader pointed out that my problem is solved. Mondo Tees (an Austin favorite) taking pre-orders for a doormat based on The Shining carpet pattern

It's a bit pricey for a doormat, but if it's a solid doormat that will last for years, it's well worth it.

Vintage Views: Rave On Vintage

With an unique store concept and a converted 1960s house, Rave On Vintage has rolled onto the Austin vintage store scene. But owners Mike Hooker and Chelsea Wine definitely aren't new to the game and this time on Vintage Views, we have a chat with Mike about a number of things, including there being power in numbers for friendly vintage stores.

Tell us a little bit about Rave On Vintage. Do you have a specialty or do you sell anything that's vintage?
Our main focus is mid-century modern but we also carry bits of deco, industrial and other styles leading into the 1970s. Honestly, we buy what we like and hope others dig it too. Chelsea and I have always had a love for the style, music and culture of the 1950s and 60s and I think that’s apparent not only in the items we carry but in the overall aesthetic of our shop from the music we play to the way we display things and the manner in which we greet and assist our customers. We want people visiting our store to have a fun and memorable experience. And if they go home with their new favorite piece, all the better!

You used to be vendors at Hog Wild Vintage. Why did you decide to make the leap from vendor to vintage store owner?
It actually wasn’t our intention to open a store, at least not at the time we did. We had a good thing going at Hog Wild and then one day the owner announced he was retiring and leasing out the building. We briefly explored the option of being vendors at another space but ultimately decided we needed to go all in and have complete control of our own store if we wanted to continue being in this business. We opened our doors less than two months later and couldn’t be happier with our decision. It’s much more personal now. Before we just dropped items off at Hog Wild and picked up checks, which was great, but now we’re able to interact and build relationships with our customers, which is very rewarding.

And you have vendors at Rave On Vintage now. How's that working out and what do they add to store? 
It’s great. Two other former vendors from Hog Wild wanted to join us so that really worked out well. We knew they had a good eye for vintage and were dependable so we wanted them on board. In December we added another vendor who concentrates on vintage clothing and has done a wonderful job expanding that area. I think everyone brings something unique to the table and helps make us a well-rounded store.

You're located on North Loop, probably the most famous vintage shopping hub in Austin. Is there strength in numbers with vintage stores?
Absolutely! We knew we wanted to stay on North Loop and being on the cross route between many established shops has been beneficial for walk-in traffic but what has really impressed us is the support we’ve gotten from other area shops like Uptown Modern, Remixologie and Room Service. I couldn’t tell you how many customers have told us they came in at the recommendation of another shop. I’m so thankful that everyone has been so welcoming and supportive of us. Of course, we do our best to return the favor. I think only positive can come from that.

Your store is an old house, and each room is properly furnished with the items you’re selling. It's a pretty unique shopping experience. Did you find the space and then come up with the concept, or have the concept and go out house hunting?
We definitely had a vision of what we wanted our shop to be and were thrilled to find the space we’re in. The house was built in the 60s, it’s in a great location, there’s plenty of parking in the back and it has great lighting which were all pluses. We liked the idea of a converted house so we could stage rooms and give people more of an idea how things will work in a real home setting. The layout allows all the vendors to have their own areas and we share the kitchen and wet bar areas to keep those items together.

Have you seen any trends in vintage items people are looking for, either designer, style or type of piece ?
It seems to go in waves. For a while we had five people a day asking for credenzas to use as TV stands. Then everyone wanted nightstands, then bookcases, now it’s desks. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I think so long as it’s stylish, functional and in good condition, people will continue buying vintage. I’d have to say shell chairs and anything from the Broyhill Brasilia line are among our quickest sellers though.



What's your favorite piece to come through the store so far?
That’s a tough one. We’ve had so many amazing pieces come through and we continue to find things all the time that blow our minds. I’m usually most impressed by Danish-designed stuff because of the lines and craftsmanship. 



And what's your favorite piece in your home?
We have a 1964 ranch that’s done up modestly and tastefully. We don’t have a lot of expensive designer show pieces, just things that are practical to us, and usually picked up on the cheap. Choosing one single piece would be difficult, but I’d say my favorite area in our home is our formal living room (a.k.a. my record room). It has a lovely grass cloth accent wall and some of my favorite pieces in there would be this really cool Kroehler pink lounge chair that we found for $15 at a Goodwill in east Texas and a beautiful Danish-style lounge chair that we still haven’t been able to identify. The adjoining dining area is separated by an incredible metal room divider with two hanging red and blue globes. We have a Burke tulip table and chairs and a Brasilia china hutch in there, which I’m very fond of.

Finally, do you have any tips for people doing their own hunting at estate sales and flea markets?
It’s gotten difficult to find great deals in Austin because MCM is so popular and so many sellers are hip to that, which is why we travel the country regularly for the majority of our finds. But I gotta say, if you come across something you love and you’re willing to pay the asking price, don’t hesitate. Go ahead and get it. We’ve had numerous instances in our store where someone came back to get a piece they were eyeballing the day before only to find it gone. If you love it, buy it!


Rave On Vintage
1509 W North Loop Blvd.
Austin, TX 78756

Sunday-Monday: 12pm-5pm
Wednesday-Saturday: 11am-6pm

Mid-Century Looking Door at an Austin Bar

It's hard to guess the real age of this door. The building it's on is old enough for it to be a real mid-century door, but it's hard for me to imagine a mid-century door manufacturer making something like this. My guess is someone wanted a unique door with a modern look and told their contractor to go nuts, and this is what they got in return. It's oddly mid-century looking, which makes it perfect for Austin.

Mid-Century Austin Homes Tour: Austin 1964

Preservation Austin is putting it's 22nd annual homes tour on April 5. From 10am-4pm, you'll be able to wonder around five mid-century Austin homes, and probably steal a few ideas for your own home. Austin 1964 promises to pay homage to the city’s modernist roots while honoring some of Austin’s mid-century architects.

You can get a sneak peek at the homes here, but there are no photos allowed on the tour so those will probably be the only photos you see. If you want to see more, you'll have to hit the Austin 1964 mid-century homes tour.

Random Snaps of Mid-Century Austin

I shared my random pics of Austin, and luckily someone else shared their random pictures of mid-century Austin. It's a whole series of places and buildings that no long exist in Austin.

Mueller Airport

Burger Chef Hamburgers

2-J Hamburgers

7-Eleven

 

Dairy Queen

 

Bank of Austin

Bobby Layne's Bowl-O-Rama

 Capitol Chevrolet Inc.

 HEB Food Stores

Sears at Hancock Center: This is the only building in this set of photos that has the same tenant in the exact same building.

Minimax Food Mart: Minimax is gone but the building looks the same.

Lester E. Palmer Auditorium: The building is still standing, but has been totally transformed and is now the Long Center.

Random Mid-Century Pictures from ATX

I've amassed another collection of photos that are interesting enough to share, but not cohesive enough to build a full post around. So here are some pretty pictures to look at.

A red vintage screen door with a mid-century door behind it.

Another wooden mid-century front door. I've said it before and I'll say it here because these two doors make good examples, authentic mid-century exterior doors have bigger windows than their modern counterparts.

And a red mid-century modern front door, although this one does have pretty big windows.

Some modern landscaping with gray stones and cement slabs. I love the clean lines this creates.

An old apartment building in my neighborhood with a collection of mid-century globe lights.

The same complex had these large modern rusted-metal planters.

They're a great look, but probably a little big for most mid-century homes.

My mom recently picked up this vintage metal tea holder.

And this red and white Belgium apothecary jar.

And finally, I came across this bench that had the wood replaced with old corrugated metal. It made for interesting look and the fresh blue paint is a nice contrast.